World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Celebrating family life | Strengthening family unity
In John's Gospel, Jesus links two powerfully uplifting emotions: love and joy. And, it makes sense when we love someone, and they love us; there's a unifying force that stirs our souls and makes us joyful.
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Recently, I’ve been hearing from people that they’d like to experience peace in their families, themselves, and their communities. It seems like, as a whole, we’re pretty wound up. I am sure you could tell me plenty of reasons for it: driving a car pretty much anywhere, the constant bombardment by alerts on our phones, and the use of phones and tablets as on-demand news and social media sources.
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Brief and contemporary inspiration focused on hope and family prayer will be delivered to your inbox! Articles include live video, written word, and links to resources that will lead you and your family deeper into faith.
Lately, I’ve been seeing an ad on TV that ends with the phrase: “He gets us.” The He is Jesus. Today’s gospel is proof that Jesus “gets” us, for it begins: “Do not let your hearts be troubled …” Jesus knows that more often than we’d like to admit or sometimes even think about … our hearts are troubled.
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Learn more about our faith | Why pray?
Like any good parent, teacher, or coach, Jesus prepares the first disciples and us when He says, “From now on, I am telling you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe that I AM.” In this case, Jesus, during His teaching about serving others in God’s Name, mentions that one of them will betray Him.
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Today’s gospel takes place during another Jewish festival, the Feast of the Dedication of the Temple. Jesus is walking just outside of the temple in the Portico of Solomon, a long porch-like area that opened up into a large temple plaza. This is the setting where the Jews, most likely the religious leaders, confront Jesus.
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Anyone who’s gone on a road trip or long drive with family or friends knows what it’s like to get hungry or thirsty. And you probably know what happens next … the question: what do you feel like eating? It’s a miracle if there is a unanimous conclusion; most often, some in the group know what they want but don’t agree with the others, and then there are the people who say, "I don’t know what I want”.
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